Brachionidium diaphanum Luer & R.Vásquez 1984

TYPE Drawing by © Carl Luer and The Epidendra website

LATE EARLY

Common Name The Diaphonous Brachionidium [refers to the colorless, transparent flower]

Flower Size .2" [5 mm]

Found in Cusco department of Peru and Cochabamba department of Bolivia in cloud forests on mossy trees at elevations of 2500 to 2700 meters as a miniature sized, cold growing epiphyte with an elongate, branching repent rhizome giving rise to ascending ramicauls enveloped by 2 tubular sheaths and carrying a single, apical, erect, coriaceous, elliptic, acute, narrowly cuneate below into the subpetiolate base leaf that blooms in the spring on a slender, single flowered inflorescence with a bract below the middle and an infundibular, as long as the ovary floral bract carrying a non-resupinate flower.

"This small repent species is most noteworthy for the comparatively large, diaphonous flowers. The sepals and petals are provided with long-filiform tails, that of the synsepal being split for about ahalf the length." Luer 1984

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; * Phytologia 55: 175. Luer & Vasquez 1984; Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XII Systematics of Brachionidium Luer 1995 drawing fide; Orchids of Bolivia Vol 1 Vasquez & Ibisch 2000 photo/drawing fide; Arnaldoa 12: 56. Beccara 2005 ; AOS Bulletin Vol 76 No 12 2007

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